One of the downfalls of being hypoglycemic is that if I do not eat every 2 to 3 hours I get shaky and lightheaded and get a very nasty headache. My son has inherited my blood sugar issues as well and eating frequently throughout the day is the norm in my house. The problem with eating every 2 to 3 hours is that A. I get bored very quickly with what is in my pantry and B. I have a tendency to grab junk food. I thought I would share some healthy snacking tips that we have learned over the years and share this really easy recipe with you!
Healthy snacking suggestions: (for the recipe, just scroll down!)
1. Incorporate as many food groups as possible. There are a number of ways to include all the food groups into your snacking routing. Crackers and cheese, veggies and dip, chicken tenders, fruit pizzas, etc. The more food groups you serve, the better balanced your snacking is!
2. Choose organic whenever possible. Reducing your exposure to pesticides is always a healthy idea. Choose organic strawberries to serve with your fruit dip or choose organic chicken for your homemade buffalo wings. Most grocery stores have a nice selection of organic products to choose from!
3. Watch your fats. Snacks have a tendency to be higher in fat and you need to keep this in mind. Choose low fat snacks like pretzels and popcorn instead of potato chips. If you are frying something, use olive oil instead of corn oil or canola oil. You can also replace a portion of the mayonnaise in dips with plain yogurt to cut back on fats. I love dips but they are not always low fat!
4. Homemade is always better than store bought! There is no reason to drive through the Golden Arches when your kids want chicken nuggets! Check out the recipe below for an easy chicken finger recipe that is way better than any premade nugget you will find (and if you are looking for more kid friendly chicken recipes, check out my easy chicken and rice casserole recipe)! Homemade spinach dip, buffalo wings, etc are all easy to make and by doing it yourself you will cut back on artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives!
For this recipe I used the Snyder’s Salt and Pepper Pretzel Nuggets but it would work with just about any variety. My husband thought I should have used the Jalapeno nuggets to give them a little bit more ‘kick’. (those are my son’s favorite for snacking right out of the bag!) I think another good combination would be the Ranch Pretzel Nuggets and ranch dressing!
Directions:
1. In a food processor pulverize the pretzels. You want a course flour/cornmeal texture. Pour them onto a plate.
2. Crack eggs into a small bowl and mix well with the water
3. Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat until hot.
4. For each chicken strip, dip into the egg mixture, dip in pretzel crumbs and place in frying pan. Cook until golden and then flip to cook the other side.
5. Drain on paper towels and repeat until all the chicken strips are cooked.
6. For the dip, mix all ingredients in a bowl and mix well!
Serve as an after school snack, at a tailgaiting party, or for dinner!
Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Snyder’s of Hanover blogging program, for 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.
that looks really good
This looks pretty good, except for the dip- I don’t dig honey mustard id rather have some thing like mayo-mustard-hotsauce combo, or none at all… also, frying in olive oil is kind of counter productive- it’d be better to use something like grape seed oil which is just as healthy but much better for frying- olive oil is best eatten unheated or only heated at low temperatures
Um, that is awesome! I’ve never tried making my own chicken nuggets, but it would certainly beat the frozen ones we currently buy. I’m stumbling and pinning this too!
I’m not a big honey mustard dip fan but my kids love it. Thanks for sharing the recipe and for the tips. I have one child who has low blood sugar and these tips are spot on.
Those look so good…. I am juicing and looking at food makes me hungry. I don’t know if I will ever be able to eat like this again.
This recipe sounds absolutely delicious, but to be honest, I think I’d polish off the whole bag of Snyder’s pretzels before it ever made it into the recipe!!! LOL!!! 😉
the pretzels themselves were yummy too! I balanced the meal with wild rice and steamed broccoli. Interesting about the olive oil…I will have to research that more!
Sounds like a tasty snack!
So tasty looking. I pinned it on Pinterest. Thank you for posting it on your blog. Great recipes I’m getting from your blog. Much appreciated.
You cannot honestly consider that healthy. And you feed your child that? are you serious? Mayo, Snyders and deep frying it in olive oil? are you nuts?
If you don’t find the recipe appealing, I’m sorry. I used organic chicken, cut the mayo half and half with yogurt to reduce the fat content and did not deep fry…a smidge of olive oil in the pan is all you need. When you compare it to fast food chicken fingers, yes I think this is a much healthier alternative.